10 of the Coolest New Hotels Opening in 2017

From a restored gentlemen’s club turned boutique hotel in Toronto to a lush nature resort in Ajman, we can’t wait to check in to these new properties.

Apr 28, 2017
·
By Stephanie Mercier Voyer

(Photo: Meliá Hotels International)

1. Gran Meliá Nacional

Rio de Janeiro

A revamp of the iconic Hotel Nacional designed by Brazilian starchitect Oscar Niemeyer, the Gran Melia houses 413 rooms and suites, a spa with Turkish baths, lush gardens by Burle Marx and a rooftop terrace bar with a 360-degree view. Book a 40-square-metre Supreme room to enjoy vistas of the sea and Pedra de Gavea Mountain from the comfort of your bathtub.

2. 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn

Among the most-anticipated openings of the year, this eco-luxury hotel at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge features 194 rooms, each designed with reclaimed and natural materials (mahogany trees!) and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the East River. Take in the Manhattan skyline with a handcrafted cocktail by the fireplace at 10th Floor Lounge, or grab locally-sourced coffee, tea and picnic-inspired fare at Neighbors Café.

3. The Broadview Hotel

Toronto

Located in a 125-year-old building that was once a gentlemen’s club, this 58-room boutique hotel has kept a bit of its past charm. Arched windows and lockers inherited from entertainers who used to work at the club share the space with updates like a four-storey glass cube atop the original building. The structure will provide illuminating features like floor-to-ceiling windows, an enormous skylight and a rooftop bar complete with an atrium and views over Toronto’s east end.

4. Freehand Los Angeles

Los Angeles

This west coast outpost is the latest addition to the free-spirited hotel-hostel group’s roster of properties in Chicago, Miami and New York (also opening this year). With affordable accommodations (rooms range from $65 to $510), an Israeli kitchen from the team behind Miami’s popular 27 Restaurant and a lobby cocktail bar specializing in tea-infused concoctions, Freehand Los Angeles is set to make a splash in the city’s downtown core.

5. Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club

Miami

Once a private retreat for the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Winston Churchill, this iconic Miami landmark will be reborn as a 77-room hotel, with three new buildings by architect Richard Meier. The celebration of classic glamour will include rooms with unobstructed ocean views, a champagne lounge and full spa with a traditional hamman. Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller (Per Se, The French Laundry) will also be opening his first Miami restaurant on the grounds.

6. The Ned

London

The most recent in a string of private-club hotels popping up in the English capital, The Ned will open in a former bank (which means you can chow down on classic Italian dishes or old-school Jewish deli staples in the Grand Banking Hall, that now houses eight restaurants). The Vault Room, which inspired the design for Fort Knox in Goldfinger, will be turned into an upscale members-only cocktail bar (Ned’s Club applications available online).

7. Jackalope

Merricks North, Victoria

Get a taste of Victoria’s wine country with a quiet stay on the Mornington Peninsula, an hour outside of Melbourne. Built on Willow Creek vineyard’s grounds, known for its chardonnays and pinot noirs, the hotel’s design reflects the surrounding rolling landscape, with linked terraces, a full wall of windows and a 30-metre infinity pool. After a day exploring, unwind in your private Japanese soaking tub with natural, custom-made bath and skincare products made exclusively for the hotel.

8. The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al Zorah

Ajman, United Arab Emirates

Nestled within 247 acres of protected forest about 50 kilometres from the bustle of Dubai, this resort is a nature lover’s paradise. Walk along the white sand beach to explore the crystal-clear lagoons that line the shore of Al Zorah. You can also visit the neighbouring mangrove forests, home to pink flamingos and nearly 60 species of birds, or learn more about marine biology at the onsite fish nursery.

9. Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

Paris

This historic Parisian hotel, housed in an 18th-century building on the Place de la Concorde, is set to reopen after four years of extensive renovations led by famed architect Richard Martinet. Restored to its Belle Époque glory, the luxury hotel will offer a revamped winter garden, a fine-dining restaurant and two grandiose apartment suites designed by Karl Lagerfeld.

10. Alila Fort Bishangarh

Jaipur

Perched atop a granite hill, this resort is located inside a restored heritage fortress that looks out on the rural Rajasthani landscape. The stone-walled hotel is outfitted with suites complete with footed tubs, gleaming marble floors, a pool terrace and juice bar, among other modern amenities. Head to the fort’s dungeon, carved out of the rock, for a massage while the kids channel their inner warrior at the resort’s “Play Soldiers Club”.